Omaha daily bee., 1887-08-08
JOSEPH THOMPSON HARE.
Annoyed at Being Poor BE Becomes an
Outlaw.
AMERICAS FIRST HloHwAYMAN.
A Sketch OF His Career-A Chapter
In the History OF Early Crime
in Tennessee-A Won
derful Life.

NSiSu hSh HAS uecu CHIOIlCleu Uy tne
press of the country as we'll as of Ten.
nessee. The publication has caused a
thrill OF horror to pcrvade civilization
Yet this cavern was doubtless filled
through the joint efforts of band of
highway robbers, whose united efforts
sink almost into insignificance IN the
light of the individual efforts of some of
the men whose infamy has soilcd the
name of the volunteer state. A Com.
mercial man has been taking notes from
time to time in regard to the outlaws of
Tennessee, and it is the purpose of this
article to recte briefly the career of one
Of the most notorious. Taking them up
IN chronological order.
Joseph Thompson Hare is entitled to
the first mention. He was the first noted
highwayman that America produced
He was Pennsylvania by birth, and
was born in 1880. His criminal career,
as is often the case, is to be attributed to
the over-indulgence of his parents, who
were highly respectable people. Allowed
to do pretty much rs he pleased, he
sought the company of the idle. He was
ANNOYED BY BEING POOR,
while some of the other boys were rich
and had plenty of spending money. To
remedy this he prevailed upon some of
his companions to make a night call at
the house of a wealthy old farmer They
found the old man asleep upon the door
step. Hare was lifted to n back shed
entered the window and going through
the old mans trunks secured $500. This
was divided among the crowd, all of
whom hid their shares till the excitement
died out. Then Hare became reckless in
his viciousness, and his father undertak-
ing to check him he made his way to Phil.
adelphia, and succeeded in working his
passage on ship to New Orleans. The
day he arrived he whipped local pugil-
ist named Marshall, who offered him an
and his extensive acquaintance amongst
the worst classes Of the city.
In those days travel was confined to
the stage coach and keel boat as public
conveyances. though many travelled long
distances horseback. There were few
banks, and facilities for exchange were
unknown, so that travellers frequently
carried large sums with them. This
made the highwaymen's calling quite
lucrative, If he could escape the travellers
bullet, and the hangman' moose. Hare
and two companions started on
the road to Baton Rouge. Good luck
at once favored him. Watching
two men who got out of boat, he saw
them bury small bundle in a ravine, and
heard them tell of the murder of man
they were taking to New Orleans. AS
soon as they were gone he unearthed
the bundle, and found it to contain da-
mond pin, a gold watch and chain and
Sc, 500 in Tennessee and Louisiana bank
notes. Finding the name and residence
of the murdered man, Hare, after inqul-
ries mt Baton Rouge, wrote letter to the
mans brother, who with party of
friends
WAITED THE RETURN
of the two murderers to the place where
the treasure was concealed, and arrested
them in the act of digging up the jewelry
and papers which Hare had left in the
hole, carried them to Baton Rouge, where
they were legally hung for murder.
Hare and his companions now went to
Nashville. Soon after arriving there
they ambushed party of four Span
iards, on their way from Florida to
Nashville to buy goods, and he and his
companions netted over $1,000 each out
of the robbery. Soon afterwards his
party robbed party of three men. OBJ
tanning $l3,5OO, ~, and on another
tFp vent OOo Nashville naf '0wGsaes where tSsv aSw
got new outfit and journeyed
from there to Knoxville and then to New
Orleans where they arrived with over
$4,000 cash In three months they had
lost it all, having been plucked by male
and female sharpers, and after cOnsulta-
ton selected the road from Baton Rouge
to Pensacola for their operations. From
one victim they secured $4,000, and
went back to New Orleans. There Hare
was suddenly taken down with yellow
fever, ard when he recovered knew not
W hnf hnnnrNn n t.,,rr
his comrades he found that they were
also
FIN NANCIALLi EXHAUSTED.
They stole horse apiece, but had to
abandon them and take barge.
Swindling fellow passenger at cards,
enabled them to reach Nashville several
thousand ahead. There they put up at
the City hotel, but being recognized by a
mau Hare had once attempted to rob,
they set out for Knoxville and organized
an extensive series of operations. Hare
went to Nashville, where he met an old
female acquaintance, who had married Il
Cuban named Garcia. She acknow lodged
that her husband was heavy defaulter.
Learning that Garcia was soon to return
home with large sum, Hare, having
obtained description of him, waylaid
him on the road, and when Garcia would
have turned him over to an approaching
party Oh HOTSemen, mare TcVealeu 10
Garcia that he knew who he was and
thus silenced him, and secured all the
money the Spaniard had.
He now started out for Richmond, but
did not reach there. In Franklin county,
Va, the robbery of a drover cost him
eight years in prison. In Baltimore, after
his release, he learned harness making,
but tiring of that life went to Philadel-
phia and from there to his childhood's
home, only to find that nobody knew
him. He left and drifted to Albany,
where he became footpad. Meeting
an old friend .uey operated on the road
from New York to Canada, and else
where in that part of the country. One
day Hare went into tailor shop to be
measured tor suit, and while there rec
ognized his younger brother Lewis at
work, and made himself known. This
afterward led to Lewis becoming an out
law like himself. He now
MARRIED A PHILADELPHIA LADY,
but this did not check his career. The
robbery of a Princeton merchant nettcd
him $50, 900, but foolishly stopping for
the night at wayside Inn cost him
sentence of five years II prison. After
having served but portion OF his time
he was pardoned, his crime being repre-
sentsd as the first offense of man
driven, to desperation by the loss of
large fortune.